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Young mum in mould-riddled flat says 'stop trying to sell me spice'

The family are desperate to move after problems with drug dealers and having to mop up other people's urine or sick from her doorstep

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by Charlotte Gosling, Daniel Clark

09:49, 7 Oct 2017

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A desperate young mum has spoken out about the horrors in her block of flats

A desperate young mum has spoken out about the horrors of living in her block of flats in Plymouth.

Sophie Anderson Smith, 21, told The Plymouth Herald she was regularly approached by drug dealers and had to mop up other people's urine or sick from her doorstep.

Partner Micky Gilbert, 20, who stays at the flat in Henderson Place on weekends, said he has also been threatened with a knife in the North Prospect flats.

The couple have been left in despair following the events and want to be moved into a more appropriate home for their son - one that doesn't have terrible damp or have them constantly being offered drugs.

Nine-month-old Rome has been left with a repetitive cough and asthma which doctors believe is caused by the damp which affects every room of their home.

Baby Rome has to use an asthma pump three times a day

Plymouth Community Homes is taking action to solve the problems. The housing agency said it has been in regular contact with Miss Anderson Smith and has changed the extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom.

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The incident happened around 18 months ago and the paint and concrete was left coming away.

The housing agency finally came to plaster the kitchen ceiling this week.

In her living room, mould and damp seeps through the wallpaper, leaving it peeling and the wall crumbling away.

“There’s cracks above the window and the council inspector just told me to open my windows and ventilate it," she said.

“I do this but I have a baby and can’t have them open all the time – I shouldn’t need to.

The family say the conditions are not appropriate for their young child

“But I put a butter knife in the crack by the window and it was about an inch or more deep.

“And at the end he said there’s no moisture on the wall so there’s no health risk and they can't help me."

Baby Rome now has to have an asthma pump three times a day. In a note to PCH, his doctor said this was linked to conditions in the the flat.

"He’s coughing every day. He was a healthy baby but in March, just months after he was born, he ended up in hospital for his chest and that’s happened twice now – they said it’s viral and the doctor said it’s clearly connected to the damp in the flat," she said.

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“We advise all tenants to take the usual precautions to avoid condensation and mould developing in their homes – for example by opening windows when cooking and showering and not hanging wet clothes on radiators. We have lots of advice on our website about this.

“We’re assisting Ms Anderson Smith with her Devon Home Choice application regarding her wish for a move.”